Answer: Reciting the Abrahamic blessings (ṣalāt Ibrāhīmiyyah) before the imam enters has no basis in the Sacred Law; it is an innovation. If the worshippers raise their voices and do so collectively, the matter becomes even more serious and the innovation graver, for such a practice is absent from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the practice of his rightly guided successors, and the way of the virtuous early generations. It is therefore an innovation.

Whether the Abrahamic blessings are recited before the imam’s arrival loudly or softly, individually or in unison, the entire practice is an innovation that must be avoided.

Likewise, answering the imam’s salutation aloud and in chorus when he mounts the pulpit is also an innovation, for it was never part of the Muslims’ practice. Returning the greeting silently and on an individual basis poses no problem, but doing so audibly or in concert is wholly innovated. We advise these people to abandon these innovations and violations, to adhere to the Prophetic Sunnah, to consult the authentic books of Sunnah and act in accordance with them, and not to rely on people’s customs or the superstitions that many have adopted as religion while they have no foundation in the Sacred Law. A Muslim should not undertake any deed until he has verified its soundness and its conformity to the prescribed manner. Allah knows best.

Question: Does replying to the greeting of peace given by the preacher during the Friday sermon, or to someone who offers the greeting over the radio and the like, carry the same ruling as replying to a greeting offered in person—that is, is it obligatory to respond?

Answer: Returning the greeting is unquestionably legislated. However, when the greeting is addressed to a group, the jurists state that answering it is a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah); if some members respond, it remains merely recommended for the others. Thus, whether the Muslim greeting is transmitted by radio or issued from the pulpit